PDP is a display device which performs display by using electric discharges, and it is generally configured by several hundred-thousands to several million pixels. Display of general AC-type PDPs has one field of a screen in 1/60 second, and each field is configured by a plurality of subfields having different weights of luminance. Each subfield is configured by, for example, a reset period, an address period, and sustain period.
In the reset period, discharges are generated at all the cells to accumulate charges and the amount of charges in the cells is adjusted so that discharges in the subsequent address period will be smoothly performed. In the address period, a selecting pulse is applied to a scanning electrode and an address electrode to perform an address discharge for selecting a target cell to turn on (On-cell) in the display area so that charges are generated. Note that, as opposite to such system for generating a discharge at an On-cell (write addressing method), there is a system for reducing charges in a cell by generating a discharge at a target cell to turn off (Off-cell) (erase addressing method). In the sustain period, actual display is performed by turning on the cell, in which pulses are alternately applied between the scanning electrode (X) and the sustain electrode (Y) (i.e., between X-Y) at selectively discharged cells in the previous address period so that repeating discharges (sustain discharges) are performed, thereby performing grayscale expression by the number of discharges.
Conventionally, a waveform of a voltage which gradually rises (rising-slope waveform) is applied to the scanning electrode to form charges in the reset period, and subsequently, a waveform of a voltage which gradually falls (falling-slope waveform) is applied. Such a reset waveform can perform finer control as the gradient of the waveform is smaller, thereby performing stable discharges and generation of charges. As an application of the method, in each waveform of the rising-slope waveform and the falling-slope waveform, the waveform is divided to first and second waveforms having different gradients. And, the first slope is made steep and the second slope is made gentle, so that fine control is performed by the waveform of second slope having smaller gradient, thereby performing stable discharges and generation of charges (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2004-62207: Patent Document 1). In addition, in the reset waveform, a dull waveform is used (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2000-75835: Patent Document 2).